Published on
Updated
Reading 2 mins.
According to a decree published on June 30 in the Official Journal, Covid-19 is now a notifiable disease. The 2019 coronavirus disease thus joins a list comprising 36 other pathologies, the vast majority of which are infectious. The point of view of Gérald Kierzek, emergency doctor and medical director of Doctissimo.
A decree published on June 30 in the Official Journal classifies Covid-19 as a notifiable disease.
What is the list of notifiable diseases?
The inclusion or removal of a pathology from the list of notifiable diseases is done by the Ministry of Health after consulting the High Council of Public Health (HCSP). So far, 36 diseases were part of it, so Covid-19 is the 37e. With the vast majority of infectious diseases, the complete list is available on the Public Health France website.
What does this imply concretely?
When a disease enters this list, it means that a doctor who diagnoses it (or a biologist, in the case of Covid-19) has the obligation to declare the case to the Regional Health Agency. The identity of the patient and his address are declared, in order to put in place possible preventive measures, to avoid a possible spread and to know the original patient, or patient zero.
End of the “TousAntiCovid” application
In addition to this decision to register on the list of mandatory diseases, the decree also puts an end to the TousAntiCovid application. It had been set up in May 2020, to allow follow-up of contact cases via his telephone, then to register his health pass.
Finally, another decree, also published this Saturday, put an end to the SI-DEP database. This platform brought together all the results of the Covid tests carried out in France. Already since 1er February, SI-DEP only collected test results with the patient’s authorization and people who tested positive were no longer required to isolate themselves.
The point of view of Gérald Kierzek, emergency doctor and medical director of Doctissimo
“This addition of Covid-19 to the list of notifiable diseases is an aberration for me! The diseases on this list are rare, serious and highly contagious diseases, which is practically the complete opposite of what Covid-19 is! Not to mention the additional administrative work that this imposes on doctors. The figures that will emerge from these declarations will not make sense, they will reflect a major underestimation of the reality of viral circulation. Covid-19 is now an endemic disease, it must be remembered. To be honest, I don’t think these statements will even be realized, in fact.”